Bless the Child
by Digikitty
Summary: On a solo mission to the Hidden Village of Time, Naruto stops at a small temple to wait out a bad storm. Unfortunately, Naruto gets caught in the middle of a centuries long feud between two spirits, and the consquences are more than he ever anticipated.


Heavy rain fell from dark clouds that hung low in the sky, hitting the jungle canopy with amazing force. A strong wing ripped through the broad leaves of trees, ferns and vines alike, and there was little doubt that more than a few of the mighty jungle trees would be toppled before the night was over. Nothing stirred outside save for the wind and rain; anything with a drop of common sense was is someplace warm and dry, waiting for the winter storms to end.

Perhaps that was why the palace court was so full at the moment. All of the high ranking lords and ladies – and those ninjas that held similar rank – who lived in the capital city had gathered together with their families at the palace. The winter storms were seen as a time to put old feuds aside and try to start anew with each other, a time for bringing up discussions in a peaceful manner without shedding blood. That was why many of the ninjas were there, to make certain that things didn't get out of hand among the nobles, as well as to protect the Tokikage.

People dressed in brightly colored robes and decked out several jewels and gold jewelry that was just as bright milled around, and the hum of conversations filled the air. Sitting up on a raised dais so that he could see over all of the people gathered the Tokikage sat on his throne, watching the crowds below move about in the intricate court dances. A brief smile crossed his face as he spotted a tiny bit of movement in the far corner of the Great Hall, spotting a small child darting along the edge of the crowd towards one of the corners of the room.

The little child had been brought to the Great Hall with her parents, but had soon grown bored with their talks of politics of this region and that, and had gone wandering off in search of something more interesting. The bright clothes of the people and the dazzling jewelry, lit up by the lanterns hanging everywhere, made the child's eyes and head sore, so she decided to see if she couldn't find a place that wasn't so bright.

One of the doors along the far wall, used by pages and servants who were serving food and drink, had been left unguarded, and the child easily slipped through the door and into the wide hallway. The light out here was much dimmer, with lanterns set up every ten feet, each one located between the large stained glass windows that decorated the halls. 

The plush carpets below the child's feet were decorated in geometric patterns in colors of blues, greens, oranges and gold, and the windows reflected similar colors and designs, though some of them had scenes in them, such as one of a jungle, one of a tiger, a stylized sun-in-glory… Each one was fascinating to the child, and she paused at several of the windows to give them a better look.

Several minutes later she made it to the end of the hallway, to where it branched off in several different directions. The child wasn't sure just which way to go when a tall, harried looking man dressed in rather somber colors and holding a small tray with a bowl on it came striding up to her.

"You there, take this bowl up to Lady Mihiko!" the man said, thrusting the tray into the child's hand. She stood there, confused as to what she was supposed to do. The man had obviously mistaken her for one of the pages, most of which were serving the nobles in the Great Hall.

"Well, don't just stand there, get moving!" the man snapped.

"I don't know –"

"What? Just go up those stairs there, it's the room at the top." He walked strode away, muttering loudly about new servants not getting properly trained.

Stranded in the hall with the tray in her hands, the little child shrugged and began to climb up the stairs that the man had pointed to, stairs that she hadn't seen until he had shown her. The stairs went up quite a ways, branching off at several landings that led down to different halls. The man had said she was to go to the top one, and by the time she reached it she was quite winded.

There was only one room on the top landing, and the door was already open when the child approached. She went inside, blinded for a moment by the bright lanterns that lit the room. The room was very large, with brightly colored carpets and tapestries hanging everywhere, and bolts of jewel-colored fabric draped from the ceiling. There were bookshelves filled with scrolls, books, pictures and tiny figurines scattered everywhere. 

In the corner of the room there was a very large bed filled with several pillows and blankets, also in jewel colors. Lying in the middle of the bed, propped up by several of the pillows, was a tiny, frail old woman. She looked ancient, her ebony skin wrinkled and etched with lines from years of worrying. Her lambs wool hair, cut very short to her skull, had turned as white as snow. Her body had clearly once been powerful, but age had brittled it, and now looked as if a good gust of wind would blow her away. Her eyes, hidden behind a pair of thick glasses, were still sharp, and held a humorous glint to them. She smiled when the child approached, still carrying the tray.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," the child said, holding up the tray. "I was told to bring this to you."

"Oh? Well aren't you a kind child. Set it over on the table, please. That's a dear. You aren't one of the pages, are you?"

"No, Ma'am. The man who gave me the tray mistook me for one. I came here with my parents."

"And got bored with all of the political talk, eh?" The woman's smile grew. "It used to bore me to tears as well. That was quite a few years ago, though, when I was much younger, and running around as a ninja."

"You were a ninja?" the child asked, wide eyed. The woman chuckled.

"Oh yes, a very long time go. Long before even your parents were born, young one."

"You're that old?"

"Yes, I am that old. That picture right over there was taken when I was about 20 or so."

She pointed to a picture in a silver gilded frame. In it stood a young, tall woman with black skin and equally black hair dressed in an outfit of varying shades of green. Across her forehead was a headband with the star compass, the symbol of The Hidden Village of Time, emblazoned in the center. Standing next to her was a slightly younger ninja, around 17 years or so of age, with blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was dressed in an orange and black outfit, and his headband bore the symbol of Konoha Village.

"Who is the man standing next to you?" the little child asked.

"That man is someone very important to me, and to this country as well. He came from the village of Konoha, far to the west of this country, who are allies with us now. Even now, it still amazes me the power one person can have over so many people, and him more so than others."

"What do you mean?" the child asked.

The woman smiled. "That answer involves a very long story, little one. But perhaps it is one that you would like to hear?"

The child nodded eagerly. She loved a good story, and there wasn't much else for her to do. Besides, this woman had her intrigued.

"Very well. Come lay beside me, and I will tell you of how I came to know this young man, and of the chain of events that were set into motion that shaped our futures forever because of him.

It all began many, many years ago, when the Village of time was still more of a myth to the Countries of the West, long before we had any allies among them. Their ways were as strange to us as ours were to them. But, the then Hokage and Tokikage decided that it would be beneficial for our two countries to become allies. So the Hokage sent a ninja to our country bearing the beginning documents of the treaty between the two countries. The ninja's name was Uzumaki Naruto..." 


End file.
